Chennai, Aug 7 : The United States on Tuesday condoled the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M. Karunanidhi.

"On behalf of the US Consulate General in Chennai, I offer condolences to the people of Tamil Nadu and Tamils across the world on the passing of former Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi," Acting US Consul General in Chennai Lauren Lovelace said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," Lovelace said.

A five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi, 94, passed away at a local hospital in Chennai on Tuesday evening.

He was admitted to the hospital on July 28.



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Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 41 years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor boy near Valayam in 2021.

Nadapuram Fast Track Special Court judge K Naushad Ali sentenced 64-year-old Panchara Musa, also known as Ganapathiyat Musa, under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to special public prosecutor Manoj Aroor.

As the sentences are to run concurrently, the convict will have to serve the highest term of 20 years’ imprisonment, SPP Aroor said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 52,000 on Musa.

The incident took place in August 2021 when the accused allegedly took the 14-year-old boy to a bus stop in Valayam town and sexually assaulted him, the prosecutor said. The accused also gave Rs 50 to the boy, he added.

Following the incident, the boy and his father lodged a complaint at the Valayam police station.

A case under various provisions of the POCSO Act and the IPC was registered, and the accused was subsequently arrested, the SPP said.

The prosecution examined 16 witnesses and submitted 16 documents to substantiate its case against the accused, he added.